The Luxor Museum is lilliputian when compared to the humongous Egyptian Museum in Cairo. But what is lacks in size, it easily makes up for it in presentation and quality. The exhibits are carefully and professionally done by the people behind New York's Brooklyn Museum - well-chosen, comprehensively labeled and meticulously arranged. Easily, the star attractions are the mummies of pharaohs Ahmose, founder of the New Kingdom, and of Ramses I. Bathed in soft lighting within darkened interiors, the mummies in their glass niches project an eerie but mysterious aura. Looking at Ramses I's mummy (have a pen light ready), one could still see his short, curly hair covering portions of his head. It's amazing to think this pharaoh pre-dates Jesus by nearly 1,300 years! Incredible. The other interesting exhibits include the section on Egyptian military technology which should make every military enthusiat's mouth water. I've always been fascinated by chariots and seeing a real one (Tutankhamun's hunting chariot) made my day. At first, I thought the fee of EGP 70 - more expensive than Egyptian Museum's EGP 50 - was too steep an entrance fee. Overall, it was worth it. I've learned so much from Luxor Museum than from the Egyptian Museum. Before proceeding to the main gallery, stop by the mini-theater at the entrance for a brief presentation on Thebes - it's a bit cheesy but it brings you into the right mood for what could lies ahead - a peek into the glory of ancient Egypt. During summer, the museum is open from 9am-1pm and from 4pm-10pm. Photos not allowed inside.

The Tombs of the Nobles are very different to both the Valley of the Kings and the valley of the Queens as they portray scenes from daily life. The Tombs can be found in (yes in!) the modern village of Qurna. Finding the village is easy as it`s on the main road opposite the Ramasseum. Finding the tombs is more of a problem as there are very few signs. Fortunately ;-) there always seems to be a local who`s willing to show you around. If you know which tombs you want to visit then insist on going there as your `guide` is likely to want to take you to the tombs where his `cousin` is the guardian. Don`t be surpised if you`re invited back for tea after visiting the tombs. Go if you`ve got the time, but expect a sales pitch. Alabaster carvings and fake antiquities abound.

spend an hour or two walking through the local Luxor souk. It's a museum of incredible anthropological interest. Likely, the lifestyle and traditions of these merchant farmers and their customers have not changed in millenia! Various foods are sold; from vegetables and onions to chickens and intestines, not to mention other animal body parts. Ropes, fabric, clothes and more; everything that is used in the daily lives of the average local Egyptian. You can watch bread being baked as it has been for centuries, and women carrying cabbage on their heads as they have for nearly as long, while others are choosing the live chicken to purchase. For photos of a day in the life of the Luxor local souk, check out my travelogues: "Just Another Day" and "All Your Basic Needs".

watch the locals they will have ur pants down with prices

A major temple easily reached from Luxor. It's quite a walk, especially in the summer months, but an easy bike ride or take a hantuur (horse-drawn carriage) if that's your style.
It's incredibly impressive, especially seeing the stone slabs forming the backbone of the original roofs still in place. Most of it is New Kingdom and later. Part of it was converted into a church and you can still see an Egyptian God that was smashed away to leave only his body in the shape of a cross. As always, there are plenty of tour groups and plenty of touts outside. In general, Egypt is a lot more fun if you can keep a good humor and not get too upset with all the Egyptians trying to make a living showing you around. Some of them can get pushy, but it's a living and you can see how hard it is for many of them if you just look beyond the confines of the tourist hotels.

Temple of Al Karnak
Karnak (Arabic: الكرنك, Al Karnak : 'fortified village')

An obligatory stop on most Nile cruises. The temples are impressive, but they do not have nearly the knock-out splendor of Luxor. Curiously, tour guides will spend an equal amount of time at each. If you have any control over the sitution, tell the guide you want to spend twice as much time At Luxor and try to go in the late afternoon and stay for sunset. WOW! WOW! WOW!

Karnak Tempel - einfach gigantisch - Ton und Licht Show besonders zu empfehlen

Tal der Könige - In den Gräbern dürfen keine Fotos gemacht werden!!
Tempel der Hatschepsut - einfach schön
Memnonkolosse - die sind einfach imposant
Luxor Tempel - Es gibt zwei Möglichkeiten, entweder hats mich umgehauen weil es so heiß oder weil das einfach so groß und umhauend wirkt.

We took a Nile Cruise right after Christmas, and spent New Years Eve and Day on the cruise ship. The cruise ship itself is basically a floating hotel, with fantastic common rooms. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful! Every day when they made up our rooms when we went ashore, they would shape our towels into different animals (my favorite was the giant crocodile, made of four towels, sitting on my bed, the complete length of the bed!). The nights were alive with cocktail and dance parties on the cruise ship, with Nubian shows, belly dancers, and the greatest New Years Party I have EVER attended! For New Years, all guests donned traditional Egyptian attire, and broke the ice with everyone else by tossing small balls of colorful paper at one another, and tons of games played.